I'm Nothing Without You
by 105ttt
Summary: Zelda does her best to console Green about his issues with his sense of identity and personhood.


It's another typical day in Hyrule Castle Town. Zelda wakes up promptly a few minutes after sunrise, once the morning sunlight bathes her room in a gentle glow that wakes her from her sleep with its warmth, and she makes her way to the royal dining hall and eats her breakfast alone - save for the Links stopping in for just a moment to greet her before Arcy shooshes them out, promising she'll bring them their breakfasts next if they let Zelda be. Zelda doesn't mind them, of course - she wishes they could eat with her, if anything. But rules are rules, and rituals are rituals, so she must eat in the royal dining hall, separate from the knights, who all eat in the general mess hall together.

It's not so bad. She does get all of Arcy's delicious food to herself, and the relative silence allows her to focus on planning her tasks for the day ahead of her. But seeing as the kingdom is not at war at the moment, and peace has been virtually assured by Link's victory over Ganon and Vaati, she mostly is left to read and sign papers when she's not being told to sit in her throne and stare blankly at what's ahead of her. She feels as though would be surprised to learn that it's more tiring to sit around and do absolutely nothing than to, say, frolic through fields of flowers with your best friend in the hot summer sun all day. She'd love nothing more than to experience that again, to be free to have fun all day as a child should - but she's a princess, and the sole heir to the throne, and so she must stay inside for her own safety.

So she eats her breakfast, and when she's done she earnestly thanks Arcy for the meal and insists she helps clean the dishes. Arcy refuses, as always, and tells her to run along and tend to whatever it is she needs to do.

_But she doesn't really need to do anything. She just sits around all day._

She makes her way to the throne room and, with a sigh only loud enough for herself to hear, she sits upon her throne and stares at her surroundings. It's all the same as it usually is: old windows lining the walls and a luxurious, but ancient, deep red carpet leading from the giant doors at the front of the room all the way up to the throne. Her only companions are boredom and exhaustion, and though she ought to be used to them by now, she really isn't - probably because she's only 12 years old, and she's chock-full of energy, and she wishes her life were just a little different. The luxury is nice, and she's sure there are many people in the kingdom who would do anything to experience the comfort she's immersed in daily, but she sometimes wishes she could go back to when she was much younger, and she and Link spent their days causing trouble and exploring, going wherever their little legs would take them.

But then something shifts, and she gets a visitor. _Perfect. Her regent. Right on cue._

Except it's not her regent. It's Green, and he enters the throne room slowly, looking around first before stepping in to make sure he's not interrupting everything.

"Good morning Princess… again."

Zelda feels a smile break across her face. "Good morning, Green."

"Are you busy? Can I talk with you?"

"Oh, Green, you know I'm never really busy."

"Sometimes you sign papers! I help you to speed things up!" He smiles teasingly, and she laughs as she beckons him to approach.

"And I appreciate it very much!"

"It's my honor, your majesty!" He jokingly bows far too low and kisses her hand, which makes her laugh even more.

But the tone shifts very quickly, because he suddenly goes from smiling and joking to frowning and struggling to find his words. He rubs the back of his head shyly and starts shifting his weight between his feet, and she understands what that means.

"Is everything alright?"

He gulps and lets out a forced laugh. "Yeah! Everything's fine. I just… I don't know…"

"It's alright. Take a moment to collect your thoughts."

"Thanks…" He says as he looks off to the side, rubbing his arm. She tries her best to maintain an open position to show that she's listening and that she's not bothered by it, but she knows that Green's not uncomfortable because of anything she's done. He's not the best at expressing his own emotions to others when he needs to be vulnerable, and she's learned that over time as she's gotten to know him. So she waits for him to figure out what he wants to say, and when he finally sighs and musters the strength to look her in the eyes, he's still frowning.

"It's just…" He mumbles, trying hard not to look distressed but failing, his eyebrows pressing in every so slightly on his eyes. "You know sometimes I suddenly feel all lonely even though I'm not alone?"

Zelda nods and keeps her tone calm and steady. "I do."

"Well, that's happening again," he huffs sadly. "And whenever that happens, I start thinking too much."

Zelda nods again, but doesn't speak. She'd rather he get it all out before she says anything, and he understands that and appreciates it greatly.

"I start thinking about _us_ \- I mean the Links. About how we're not really our own people, you know?"

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"I guess it's hard to understand if you're not experiencing it," he says with another nervous gulp and fumbles with his hands a little bit, rocking on his feet again. "It's like… we're not our own people, or maybe _entities _is a better word."

"You exist, so you are your own entities."

"Maybe so, but sometimes I still wonder whether we're… real?"

"You are real. I can see you and hear you."

"I mean real _people_. We don't exist without the Four Sword's magic. And we can easily be brought out of existence just as easily as we were brought into it."

"Well, you are Link, so you're never really go-"

"_I'm not him_."

Zelda is taken aback for just a moment, because there's just a hint of sharpness in his tone as the words rush out of his mouth without him even meaning to say them - but it's not a mean-spirited sharpness. It's a pained one, as if he's making sure the point comes across in order to save himself from a misunderstanding that could cost him dearly. He gasps when he realizes what he's said, and he covers his mouth, and for a moment he looks like he might cry, so Zelda levels her voice and speaks quietly.

"I'm sorry. Don't worry. I'm not offended by your tone."

"No, I'm sorry," he whispers and lowers his hand from his mouth before steadying his breathing. "Can I continue?"

"Of course you can."

"Thank you," he says with a small smile, and Zelda is relieved to see it for the brief moments that it lasts. "What I meant by that was that, um… none of us are Link. At least, not the original one. We're all part of him, but no one of us alone could be considered him. Does that make sense?"

"I guess that makes sense."

"Yeah… and since we're each just part of a person, I sometimes wonder if our selves, or our personalities, really are _ours_. That's what I mean by being real people. I always wonder about how I'd be if I'd been my own person from the start… and if we were to merge back into one again and Link changed, would I change too? Would I know I changed? Would I even remember who I used to be?"

"Green…"

"Does that mean my sense of self is even real? Or was it determined for me already? And if it's pre-determined, then does that mean I even have control of my life?"

"..."

"I'm sorry. Should I stop?"

Zelda sighs. "No, it's alright. I just think you're overthinking it."

"I am!" He sighs as well and gives her a gentle, tired look. "Can I give you a hug?"

She nods, and so he sits in her lap and hugs her gently, leaning his head on her shoulder. He doesn't let go immediately, but she doesn't mind - they've basically been raised as siblings, and she knows he doesn't have any sort of uncouth ulterior motive, so she lets him rest there. Perhaps the lack of a need for eye contact helps him find his words, because he speaks a lot easier now.

"I just think about how we exist - how _I _exist - because of you. And that's partially true for Link too. He'd be nothing without you."  
"Don't say that."

"But it's true. If you'd never been kidnapped, the Four Sword would never had had to be drawn, and I'd never have existed. And that goes for Red, Blue, and Vio too! You could even say the same for Shadow! He was made to keep watch over you and kidnap you in the first place. N-not that I think it's a good thing it happened! Hylia knows what Vaati and Ganon did was horrible. But I think about what would have happened had I never existed, and I realize I'm insignificant and irrelevant in the grand scheme of things."

"Now, that's not true. You saved me!"

"That's true, but now that that's done with? What's my purpose now?"

"To protect me? And the kingdom?"  
"Link can do that."

"But you four love each other. That's why you want to stay separated."

"We'd be together forever if we merged back."

"That's true."

Green sighs. "I'm… scared not to exist, Zelda."

"I would be too."

"And it's coming for all of us either way. A time when we won't exist and we won't even know it."

Zelda hears his breathing get shaky, so she strokes his hair to calm him. He does his best to take deep breaths, but his heart is beating painfully against his chest as he ponders the incomprehensible.

"Calm down," she whispers and keeps stroking his hair. "It's alright."

It takes a few seconds, but he feels himself growing less anxious by the second, and he's back to how he was before, letting himself have a rare moment of vulnerability with someone he can trust.

"Thank you," he whispers.

"You're welcome," she answers and strokes his hair one last time before hugging him closer. "Is that everything you wanted to say?"

"Well, it was, but now I just want to say I appreciate you listening very much."

"Of course. That's what friends are for."

"I hope I'm doing enough in return for you."

Zelda laughs and strokes his back. "Silly boy. You saved my life!"

He laughs and looks her in the eyes again, this time with a cheerful but caring smile on his face. "And I'd do it all over again - a thousand times if I had to!"

She strokes his cheeks gently as she speaks.

"Do you want to stay here and talk with me about other stuff to keep me company? It gets boring when I'm alone, sitting here doing nothing."

He nods and shifts to sit on one of the armrests on the side of her throne, and they chat away for a while before the other Links come to find Green and bring him to the training grounds, but he whispers one last "thank you" to Zelda before he runs off, and Zelda sit back in her throne as she watches him leave, feeling much less lonely than before.


End file.
